UK's railway regulator has said that passengers are facing unnecessary delays because Network Rail has not done its work properly to prepare the infrastructure for the changing weather.

The Office of Rail Regulation said that the Network Rail has fallen behind on maintenance and is not performing its tasks properly. The criticism from the regulator comes as the commuters face fare rises in the new year.

Network Rail pointed out that the rail performance is at its historic high levels but said that it can be improved further. Rail Minister Norman Baker is expected to hold a meeting with the company boss soon and will ask him to do more to improve rail services. Network Rail is in charge of the transport system's infrastructure in the country including tracks and signals.

The railway infrastructure faces issues with heavy rain as it causes mudslides and signal problems resulting in delays in trains. The report from the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) said Network Rail said that the company has not done enough to drain water away from tracks that could prevent train delays. It pointed out that the company has backlog of maintenance.

ORR chief executive Richard Price said, "Network Rail has been entrusted with large amounts of public and passengers' money which, if invested well, should deliver the levels of efficiency and punctuality it promised to deliver. However, the company is falling short of expectations at the moment. It is facing many problems of its own making having failed to deliver plans to renew Britain's rail network, with delayed works now affecting performance."